Bryan Cranston has called returning to the world of Malcolm in the Middle “rewarding” as he prepares to reprise his role in the reboot of the beloved sitcom.
Malcolm in the Middle will return for a special four-episode run on Disney+ in the near future, although no official release date has been announced for the revival.
The original ran for seven seasons starting in 2000 and was hailed for looking at ordinary life through the eyes of an extraordinary youngster with a genius IQ, now fully grown: Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz.
The premise for the reboot revolves around Malcolm being dragged back into his family’s chaos when his parents, Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek, who is also reprising her role), demand his presence at their 40th wedding anniversary party.
Speaking to People about the forthcoming miniseries, Cranston, 69, said: “Slipping back into that character of Hal for me was so rewarding – I missed him. It’s been almost 20 years since we said goodbye. And he’s a sweet, lovable man. He’s really a lovable guy, and it was fun to see all my whole family back together. It was great.”
The Breaking Bad star also shared a small aspect of the show which has helped him get into character. “It’s a short-sleeve shirt that Hal would wear, a patterned short-sleeve shirt that screams out he’s not going anywhere,” he said.
Although Cranston and Muniz will be among the big stars returning to Malcolm in the Middle, one major role has been changed from the original cast.
Erik Per Sullivan, who played youngest brother Dewey in the family sitcom, will not return. His role will be filled by Fargo actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
Christopher Masterson, who played oldest brother Francis, and Justin Berfield, who played Reese, will both return.
Sullivan’s absence appears to be because of his decision to move away from acting as a career. Last year, Kaczmarek spoke to fan site Malcolm France about Sullivan and said: “He’s well, he’s very, very well… He did Malcolm for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14. He wasn’t interested in acting, at all.”
She added: “He goes to school at a very prestigious American university that he’s asked us all to be quiet about and he loves Charles Dickens. He’s doing graduate work in Victorian literature. I admire it because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world, it’s not for everyone.”
